Pompano firm to begin Concordia salvage within days

Work to recover the stranded Costa Concordia cruise ship is set to begin in days, a little more than four months after it capsized off the coast of Italy, killing 32, the ship's operators announced Friday.

Leading the project will be Pompano Beach-based Titan Salvage, who along with Italian partner Micoperi, was awarded the contract last month to refloat and remove the crippled 114,500-ton ship.

TheCarnival Corp.-owned Concordia overturned near the Tuscan island of Giglio on Jan. 13 with more than 4,000 passengers and crew aboard after its captain Francesco Schettino allegedly deviated from its course.

In a statement, Costa's President Gianni Onorato said the cruise line was launching a salvage operation that had "characteristics and technical complexities that have never been faced before."

"There will inevitably be some unknowns in a project of this scope, but we are sure we have made the right decision and will continue to work to our best ability and on schedule," Onorato noted.

Others in South Florida's salvage industry like Joseph Farrell say the project will have risks and challenges including bad weather and worker fatigue.

"It's a massive project," said Farrell, president and CEO of Resolve Marine Group in Fort Lauderdale, which also bid on the wreck removal. "They seem to have a good handle on it for sure," he said of the refloating plans.

A key to the winning Titan-Micoperi bid was the removal of the Concordia wreck in one piece to minimize environmental damage off Giglio's coast.

The refloating project is expected to take about a year and will be divided into four stages once the ship is stabilized, Titan-Micoperi officials said.

The process will involve the construction of a platform below sea level and attaching watertight chambers called caissons to the ship's side that's above water.

Two cranes attached to the platform will then pull the ship upright, aided by the water-filled chambers. Once the ship is up on the platform, more caissons will be attached to the other side of its hull.

Then the caissons on each side of the ship will be drained (after the water is treated and purified) and filled with air.

Once refloated, the wreck will be towed to an Italian port for processing in accordance with Italian regulations, Titan-Micoperi officials said.

The sea bottom will be cleaned and marine flora replanted after the Concordia is removed.

Fuel was removed from the ship in March as part of Costa's early commitment to minimize the environmental impact of the shipwreck.

The refloating plan also prioritizes safety and the protection of Giglio's economy and tourism industry, Costa officials said.

As such, salvage workers presence isn't expected to have a significant impact on the availability of hotel rooms for Giglio's summer season. The project's operating base with be located on the mainland away from the island's port activities.

Since its founding in 1980, Titan has performed more than 350 salvage and wreck removal projects, according to the company website.

"Our quality engineering and the experience we have gained in this area allowed us to present a project that met expectations," Richard Habib, Titan's managing director said. "From now on, we will work with the aim of preserving the environment and the natural habitat."